CVE-2020-4975 in Engineering
Summary
by MITRE • 03/05/2021
IBM Engineering products are vulnerable to cross-site scripting. This vulnerability allows users to embed arbitrary JavaScript code in the Web UI thus altering the intended functionality potentially leading to credentials disclosure within a trusted session. IBM X-Force ID: 192435.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/28/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-4975 affects IBM Engineering products and represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw that undermines the security posture of affected systems. This vulnerability resides within the web user interface components of IBM Engineering solutions, creating an exploitable entry point for malicious actors to inject arbitrary JavaScript code into the application's response. The flaw specifically enables attackers to manipulate the intended functionality of the web interface, potentially compromising user sessions and exposing sensitive information. The vulnerability's classification as a cross-site scripting issue aligns with CWE-79 which defines the weakness as the failure to properly neutralize script strings in web pages, making it one of the most prevalent web application security vulnerabilities. IBM has assigned this vulnerability an X-Force ID of 192435, indicating the severity and the need for immediate attention in their vulnerability management processes.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when user-supplied input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered in the web interface. Attackers can craft malicious payloads that, when executed within a victim's browser session, can perform actions such as stealing session cookies, redirecting users to malicious sites, or extracting sensitive data from the application. The impact extends beyond simple script injection as the vulnerability can be leveraged to perform session hijacking attacks, where attackers can impersonate legitimate users and gain unauthorized access to systems. This particular flaw is particularly dangerous because it operates within a trusted session context, meaning that the injected JavaScript code can access the same privileges and permissions as legitimate users, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-4975 is substantial for organizations utilizing IBM Engineering products, as it creates opportunities for credential disclosure and unauthorized data access. When exploited successfully, this vulnerability can result in the compromise of user accounts, leading to potential data breaches and unauthorized system access. The attack surface is broad since the vulnerability affects web-based interfaces that are commonly accessed by multiple users, making it a prime target for mass exploitation. Organizations may experience significant operational disruption when this vulnerability is exploited, including potential regulatory compliance violations, financial losses, and reputational damage. The vulnerability's impact is further amplified by its ability to operate within trusted sessions, meaning that attackers can leverage legitimate user permissions to access sensitive engineering data and systems.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including comprehensive input validation and output encoding for all user-supplied data within web interfaces. The implementation of proper content security policies and the use of security headers can significantly reduce the attack surface for this vulnerability. Additionally, regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities within the application stack. IBM has released patches and updates to address this vulnerability, and organizations should prioritize applying these fixes to maintain system integrity. The remediation process should include thorough testing of the applied patches to ensure they do not introduce regressions in functionality while maintaining the security posture. Security teams should also implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures to handle successful attacks. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of secure coding practices and the need for continuous security awareness within development and operations teams to prevent similar issues from arising in the future.